Schwarzenegger shows his soft side to convicted killers

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Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Governor who made his name playing movie tough guys, is under attack for freeing a record number of "lifers" from prison.

He has granted parole to 34 convicted murderers and kidnappers in his first seven months of office, an astonishing record compared with his predecessor.

Gray Davis, the Democratic former governor, freed only eight life-sentence prisoners in his 4 years in office.

The film star turned Republican politician says "people can reform and be reformed".

But his approach has brought criticism from victim support groups. Harriet Salarno, president of Crime Victims United of California, whose 18-year-old daughter was murdered by an estranged boyfriend in 1979, expressed concern at Mr Schwarzenegger's record.

"We supported Governor Davis because he was concerned with public safety," she said. Of the killers freed by Mr Schwarzenegger, "let's just pray to God that they don't become repeat offenders".

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The actions of the "Governator", as the former Terminator star is often termed, is giving inmates across the state hope and encouraging them to turn their lives around, said one recently freed lifer.

Adam Riojas, a former estate agent convicted of murder in 1991, was released by Mr Schwarzenegger after 13 years behind bars. Mr Riojas had maintained his innocence and refused to plea bargain. Then in 2002, his relatives told the state parole board they had heard Mr Riojas's estranged father, a drug smuggler, confess to the killing shortly before his death.

The board, with no objection from the prosecutors whose case convicted Mr Riojas, decided he deserved parole. Their recommendation was sent to Mr Davis, who, having publicly vowed to keep convicted murderers in jail, rejected it. But a year later, after the tumultuous recall election that changed the state leadership, Mr Riojas was free.

Mr Riojas and Justin Brooks, his lawyer, said Mr Davis had opted for a blanket rejection of parole for convicted murderers.

Mr Brooks said the details of Mr Riojas's case were identical in each of his two parole moves. "Politically, I think Governor Davis was unwilling to give the appearance that he was soft on crime."

Until Mr Davis's final year, only three murderers were paroled, all women who killed men they claimed had persistently abused them.

One convicted murderer, Robert Rosenkrantz, sued Mr Davis, claiming the governor's no-parole policy violated his rights. A judge agreed in 2001, but the decision was reversed on appeal.

Mr Davis rejected 286 lifers recommended for parole. Of the 95 recommendations sent to Mr Schwarzenegger he has denied 58 and sent three back for further review.

Donald Specter of the Prison Law Office, a prisoners' rights organisation, said the Governor was giving more hope to inmates but not going far enough.

Few of the lifers who seek parole each year - about 150 from more than 4000 - win recommendations from the nine-member parole board, which scrutinises inmates' criminal history, prison behaviour, psychological profile and likelihood of them committing another crime.